Darci L. Gardner

Dr. Darci L. Gardner is a Professor of French and Director of High Country Humanities at Appalachian State University, affiliated with the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures. She holds a PhD in French (Stanford University) and a BA in Comparative Literature (Vanderbilt University). Her research focuses on cognitive approaches to literature, intersections between literature and visual arts, and 19th/20th-century French studies.

Her recent publications include analyses of Proust's narrative techniques, cognitive biases in literature, and intertextuality in works by Krysinska. She has designed courses on film adaptations, a Paris study abroad program, and graduate seminars on literature and cognition. She actively contributes to academic service, including roles with MLA, Pi Delta Phi, and organizing national conferences.

Her research explores how cognitive mechanisms shape literary interpretation, including studies on belief bias in narratives like Atonement and Parasite. Grants include initiatives bridging classical music and folk traditions, rural cultural studies, and archival research on American women writers' influence in France.

Current roles include serving on academic policy committees, coordinating the UNC Language Exchange, and advising study abroad programs. She is preparing a book on how storytellers exploit cognitive biases to enhance narrative impact.